Thailand's prime minister declared a state of emergency yesterday in Bangkok to restore order after overnight clashes between government opponents and supporters left one person dead and 43 injured.
Samak Sundaravej called it the "softest means available" to end the violence. But under the sweeping powers that give the military the right to restore order, authorities can suspend certain civil liberties, ban all public gatherings of more than five people and bar the media from reporting news that "causes panic."
Samak gave no timeframe for how long the decree would stay in effect but said it would be over "moderately quickly."
"I did it to solve the problems of the country," Samak said in a televised news conference at a military headquarters in Bangkok.
After a meeting of senior security officials, Army Commander Gen. Anupong Paochinda called a separate news conference in which he repeatedly stressed that the army's goal is to avoid violence.
Thai army chief has vowed not to use force against protesters following the prime minister's declaration of emergency rule.
Army Commander Gen. Anupong Paochinda told a news conference Tuesday that the military was "on the people's side."
"If the military has to get involved, it will not use force and will be on the people's side," Anupong said, adding that troops would carry only shields and batons if ordered into the streets.
"They will not be armed, they will not wear bullet proof vests. ... We urge the two sides not to make any move that could lead to violence."
He dismissed speculation that the army was positioning itself to seize power, less than two years after the 2006 coup.
"If the military uses force to stage a coup, it will create a lot more problems," he said, adding that it was "too soon" for authorities to exercise the emergency power of restricting media coverage.
The overnight violence heightened a national crisis that started a week ago when opponents of Samak occupied the grounds of his office and refused to move until he resigned.
Samak's government was confronted with another threat Tuesday afternoon: The Election Commission recommended that his People's Power Party be disbanded for electoral fraud committed during December elections.
The commission forwarded its findings to public prosecutors who will decide whether to submit the case to the Constitutional Court for a final ruling, which could ultimately bring down his government.
Calm returned to Bangkok's streets by morning, after Samak deployed troops with riot gear but no guns to disperse the two groups of protesters. Both sides retreated to their respective protest sites, about a half-mile apart, keeping the area a flashpoint for further trouble.
Two dozen police vans and ambulances were parked down the street from Samak's office compound, known as Government House.
As a precaution, City Hall announced that 435 Bangkok public schools would close for three days. Some international private schools opted to shut for a week.
South Korea and Singapore, among other countries, issued travel advisories urging citizens to avoid nonessential travel to Thailand.
A week of political tension exploded into street clashes early Tuesday between protesters seeking to topple Samak and mobs of his supporters.
About 500 Samak supporters marched through the streets after midnight vowing to retake Government House. Gangs armed with sticks, knives, slingshots and other makeshift weapons chased each other up and down boulevards, beating anyone they could catch. Reporters saw at least one man aiming and firing a pistol at a group of people.
The mob scuffled with police a few hundred feet from the Government House complex, then clashed with alliance members with most of the fighting taking place near the Asian headquarters of the United Nations.
"The police tried their best," Bangkok police chief Gen. Jongrak Jutanond said. "We were armed with nothing but shields so there was only so much we could do."
Jongrak had ordered riot police a day earlier to carry only shields and no batons in hopes of deterring violence. By sunrise, Jongrak said "the situation is now under control."
Inside Government House, one of the protest leaders Chamlong Srimuang, remained defiant.
"We will stay and fight!" he told protesters. "Stay calm. Don't fear... Can you be brave a little longer to save our country?"
Army Commander Gen. Anupong Paochinda said the army did not want any more violence.
"The army has sent in anti-riot troops to help the police but they would only be armed with batons and shields," Anupong said in a telephone interview with Thai television station TPBS.
In Thailand, a state of emergency allows the use of military forces in policing activities, and suspends certain civil liberties. Security forces are allowed to block roads and deny citizens entry to public areas and detain people without charge for 30 days with court approval.
One person, identified as a 55-year-old man, died from severe head injuries and nine others were hospitalised, at least three with gunshot wounds, the Health Ministry said in a statement. Another 33 people were treated for injuries and sent home.
The identities of the victims were not immediately clear.
The People's Alliance for Democracy accuses Samak's government of corruption and of serving as a proxy for ex-Prime Minister Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup. Thaksin recently fled to Britain to escape an array of corruption charges.
On Monday, the alliance had announced that their supporters in state enterprise unions would cut off water, electricity and phone service to government offices as part of a "general strike" set for Wednesday.
Alliance supporters said they also would delay departures of flights of the national airline. They are already disrupting rail service and plan to cut back public bus transportation as well.
Samak has repeatedly said he would not be bullied by a mob into resigning or dissolving parliament and calling a new election.
Since beginning its occupation of the Government House compound, the People's Alliance has tried to block streets in the capital with as many as 30,000 supporters, according to an early government estimate.